Unwanted Leader
by Lucy Labrador
Summary: When the world is in such a state and the leaders aren't doing enough to solve the problems, even a hero hedgehog is welcomed with open arms as a leader. But what happens if he is to be replaced by his right hand man who is untrusted by the world?
1. The Protector

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 1: The Protector**

**This is my 75****th**** story! I wanted to do something special for it, not just a simple one-shot. This is an idea for a story that I've had for a long time, I'm glad that I've finally gotten around to writing it.**

It had been a very tough times for anthropomorphic creatures on planet Earth for many generations, until the emergence of a true hero, Sonic The Hedgehog. Ever since he defeated Eggman for good, at the age of 18, after he had gone through so much struggling and battles with the villain, things got better for all of them.

But a few years later, Sonic felt as though he'd been taken for granted, he'd destroyed so much evil, some humans showed their appreciation but some ignored and carried on with their lives. There was still so much evil in the world and Sonic couldn't take it, the rulers of the planet weren't doing what they should, protecting the people.

So, he consulted Shadow about it, talking about his feelings to his companion. "So… what do you think I should do?" Sonic asked, after his long explanation, as they sat on a mountainside, overlooking the cities and valleys.

"Well, you think that the humans in charge should be doing a better job at protecting and ruling their people, right?" Shadow stated, Sonic nodded. "Well, do you think you could do a better job?" he asked Sonic. Sonic's eyes widened slightly in realisation but shock.

"I don't think I could rule… if I ran for president or whatever… I wouldn't get elected in a million years. No one would take me seriously, only humans get the vote." Sonic said, negatively. "I'm not being a pessimist Shadow, I'm just thinking realistically."

"Hmph. You should believe in yourself. I think you could do it. But maybe election isn't the way." Shadow said wisely.

"Well, what is the way?" Sonic asked.

"Take power by force. You have the power to do so with the chaos emeralds, if you could defeat Eggman, you can defeat those corrupted humans and charge. You may take a few lives in the process, but in the long term, more will be happy and more lives will be saved by your better policies." Shadow advised.

"But I don't want to take any lives." Sonic complained.

"Give them a chance then. Announce that you'll give those humans a chance to leave parliament and give up their positions to you and if they don't, you take it by force. They know your power, so if they're smart enough, they'll leave without question." Shadow said sensibly and got up from the floor.

"I'll think about it Shadow." Sonic said glumly and quietly.

"I'm behind you all of the way if you chose my way of getting leadership." Shadow said and left Sonic alone with his tough decision.

Shadow was later sitting elsewhere alone, waiting for Sonic's answer. Was he going to take power by force? Shadow doubted it, highly. Sonic would never be so ruthless, even if it did mean making things better afterwards. "He has too much of a heart." Shadow said to himself. "I'd do it myself but… the humans would never trust me… there's a chance they'd accept Sonic as their leader but… me? They'd all want to kill me." he said to himself in a low voice, looking down in shame. "The humans have always rejected me…" he said under his breath.

"Shadow? There you are… I've been looking for you for a while now." Sonic said while he was walking up behind Shadow, they were a little further down the mountain now, on a patch of flat land. Sonic walked in front of Shadow and looked at him seriously. "I've made my decision." he said boldly.

"And what is that?" Shadow asked with interest.

"I want to rule Earth."

_**Flash-Forward**_

Shadow was sitting at Sonic's bedside, thinking deeply about that time, how he'd brought Sonic to become the ruler of Earth. Sonic had become the King of Earth, it held a huge duty and great responsibility but it was worth it, everyone was living in a much better state than they were under human rule.

Now, aged just 35 Sonic was on his deathbed with a terminal illness. Shadow was the only person allowed in the room with Sonic, since he was the Ultimate Life Form and he couldn't get ill and die, others could have caught the illness and ended up dying like Sonic.

The dark hedgehog had tears in his eyes which he tried to hide, but it was impossible. He'd grown so close to Sonic, influencing his decisions as King and spending so much time together. Sonic looked up at Shadow weakly. "Shadow… I'm appointing you as protector of my two eldest sons… they were meant to take my place but… they're too young. Make sure they're safe and that, my son, Sonic… rules just as I was, if not more." he rasped.

"Okay Sonic." Shadow said, trying to sound as if he wasn't crying. "I'll protect your sons… I promise." he said desperately, wishing Sonic didn't have to come to his end. "Please… don't say that his is the end… I still have so much more I wanted to do with you Sonic." he said frantically. "Like in the old days… remember those days? We called each other faker, had races and fights to prove who's the best… remember? Why can't it be like that again… why do you have to die?" Shadow said, now sobbing.

"I'm sorry Shadow… this must me hard on you… you're still so young…" Sonic rasped, and looked at Shadow's still young and ageless body. "Goodbye… friend…" he coughed. Shadow bent down and hugged Sonic tightly as the blue hedgehog took his last breath.

Many were waiting outside of the room, having no idea of what was going on, whether Sonic had another day, another week to live or whether he was long gone. About ten minutes after Sonic's death Shadow came out of the room, his tears were gone but he looked emotionless. "Shadow… is Sonic recovering?" Amy, Sonic's wife cried out urgently and ran over to him.

Shadow looked down and shook his head. "He's… gone." he said in a low voice. Everyone in the room gasped, many were brought to tears. Shadow's wife, Maria **(The hedgehog, she was brought back)** ran over to him and hugged him tightly, Amy fell to her knees and broke into heavy sobs.

Sonic's children Sonic, Rush and their younger siblings also began to cry out. Shadow and Maria's child, Shade sat and watched in sorrow.

After hours of sorrow and sobbing, everyone was able to compose themselves and leave, they had an announcement to make to the world. Shadow, being Sonic's right hand man, was the one to do it while his and Sonic's family stayed in the background. The announcement was broadcast worldwide, everyone knew, everyone wept, everyone gasped. Shadow, was protector of the heirs. The one no body trusted, would now be looking after the king to be and his brother.

Soon after this tragic event, Amy left and went to another castle for sanctuary, with all of her children but the two that Shadow was given. Maria and Shade stayed by Shadow's side.

Shadow didn't know how he would cope, he was one of the most important figures in a world that hated him. If no one trusted him, then could the humans take the two princes from him, when Sonic had left them to him? These two boys weren't happy at all, Sonic, who was a spitting image of his father and had a very similar attitude to him too, spoke his mind about what was happening.

"You're not our dad, why are you looking after us!" Sonic yelled angrily. "We should be with our mum…not you! Let us go!" he continued.

"Your father appointed me as your guardian. You must stay with me, while your mother has fled to safety." Shadow sighed sadly.

"Why has she fled? What's so dangerous about this place? I bet it's you! She doesn't like you!" Sonic yelled. Rush, who's fur was a little lighter and had more but smaller spikes, kept quiet.

"Quiet! That's not how it is. I'm as upset as you are about this! You still have your castle, you're still heir to the throne, so stop complaining!" Shadow yelled at them, he couldn't keep calm anymore, he didn't care what he was taught by Maria about children and being calm with them, he needed them to shut up.

Sonic took Rush by the hand and dragged him out of the room, scowling at Shadow before they both left. "Don't do anything stupid now!" Shadow called after them but didn't bother to chase them.

Shadow went out onto the balcony at the back of the castle, this place was quiet and had beautiful views, a place he used to spend a lot of time with Sonic in. As the dark hedgehog stood alone, he heard footsteps, sounding as though someone was coming up behind him. Shadow turned around to see who it was. "Silver." Shadow said sadly.

"Hey Shadow… how are you coping?" Silver asked sympathetically. The young hedgehog from the future was only 15, but had become a good friend of Shadow's ever since he'd come to the past to make friends with Shadow, or so that's what he'd said. Shadow wondered if the hedgehog had other motives to go back in time, as though he knew something would happen and was waiting to stop it.

Shadow sighed and turned back to the scenery. "Not well… now the kids are playing up. I think they're getting suspicions about me. They think I'm dangerous… but I'm not, I will protect them." Shadow sighed. "They might not even believe me about what Sonic said… there were no official documents that Sonic signed that appointed me as their guardian… he just said it last minute. What if the whole world thinks I'm trying something."

"Then prove to them all that you're going to do the job well, whether they think you were given it or not. Make sure young Sonic goes on the throne and that nothing happens to them. I think right now you should be looking for them." Silver said. "You never know where they've gone…"

"Probably just gone to the nursery to play with Shade." Shadow said plainly.

"What if they went elsewhere… like, left the castle." Silver said nervously.

"Then I would have been alerted." Shadow said, staying calm.

"What if they snuck out. Shadow… you should check on them! You've been in charge of them for one week, if something happens to them this early, people are sure to turn against you!" Silver exclaimed.

"You're right." Shadow said, becoming worried himself, he ran off in the direction of the nursery, where all of the royal children and youths played. In there was Shade but no one else. "Shade! Have you seen Sonic and Rush!" Shadow exclaimed.

"No…" Shade said. The young hedgehog had blue eyes like his mother, golden locks on his head like her too but his main body of fur was black like Shadows.

"Damn it! Where are they!" Shadow yelled out in frustration and turned to Silver. "Let's split up and look for them, alert all castle workers that they the princes may be missing!" he exclaimed and ran out of the room and ran down the left of the hall. Silver did the same but ran in the opposite direction, to the right.

Shadow's heart was beating fast and hard, he knew that if anything happened to the two princes, he'd be to blame and that would be bad for him and his family. It could mean the end of him.

**Lucy Labrador**


	2. The Absent Claimants

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 2: The Absent Claimants**

Sonic and Rush were no where to be found, everyone in the castle called out for them and searched in every possible place, if they were in the castle they would have been found by that point. "They're gone… they must have been upset when I snapped at them." Shadow said breathlessly. "Send out a search party! They must be found!" Shadow commanded.

The search party was sent out, Shadow waited nervously. "I'm so sorry Sonic… it's just been one week and I may have failed already." he said, his voice trembling in dread.

Maria came up behind him and wrapped her arms around Shadow's waist. "They'll be found Shadow, I'm sure of it." Maria said in a soothing tone. "What do you think happened for them to want to leave like that?"

Shadow was silent. "Shadow?" Maria asked worriedly. "Do you know something?"

Shadow turned around to face her looking ashamed. "Sonic was yelling at me… he thinks that I'm against him. I was trying to explain to him that I'm here to protect him, and that I'm on his side but he wouldn't listen, he just carried on complaining. So… I shouted at him…" he said. "I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't take it any more… he needs to understand that I'm not bad."

"So now he's run away with his brother?" Maria asked.

"I think so. I didn't want to run after the kids and stop them when they ran out of the room. I didn't want them to think I was trapping them, they could have gotten me into huge trouble if I hurt them in the process of stopping them from getting away." Shadow said anxiously then groaned. "I'm done for Maria…" Shadow said and buried his face in his hands.

Later, Shadow was waiting at the entrance of the castle, hoping to see the two princes being brought back by the search party. "I should be out there looking for them." he said anxiously.

"You can't, you have to stay here. You're in charge, as protector of the princes, everything is in your command." said one of the workers of the castle, it was a female human.

"We have the technology to be able to contact each other… I could give orders from out there." Shadow sighed, but his protest went ignored.

Dinner time was silent, Shadow didn't feel like eating, Shade stuffed his face, Maria scolded him for being so rude, the normal meal time, only Shadow would usually be showing behaviour similar to Shade's, starving and not wanting to stop eating.

Shadow left without a word to check up on the progress of the search. No sign of the princes anywhere, no one had seen them leave, no one had seen them in the nearby city or towns. It looked like it would be impossible to find them.

"At least no bodies have been found." Shadow said to himself, thinking that the worst could have happened, they could be dead. The human woman at the entrance of the castle still snooping about, making sure the hedgehog didn't leave.

Nightfall came and there was nothing, the search party returned with nothing, no clues, no princes. Shadow banged his fist on the wall with frustration. "They have to be found! Tomorrow we'll announce to the world that the princes are missing, there will be a huge reward for whoever finds them!" Shadow yelled out when he was given the news at the entrance where he had been waiting all day. Shadow them turned on his heels and went to his bedroom where Maria was waiting for him.

"Any luck?" Maria asked hopefully, but judged by Shadow's face that there was none.

"No, there's no sign of them. It's as though they just disappeared!" Shadow exclaimed. "I wont be able to sleep… or eat until they're found! This is driving me crazy! Just wait until Amy finds out, she'll have me disciplined for sure!" Shadow panicked.

"It will be fine. Maybe they went out of the castle disguised, which is why no one saw them. Everyone is looking for princes, in expensive robes, not everyday wear." Maria said. "For a twelve year old, Sonic is very smart, he might have ditched his robe and crown so he would go unnoticed."

"Well, we would have found the crown and robe. There's nothing, anywhere!" Shadow yelled, but it wasn't a angry yell which scared Maria, it was a frantic yell, he was desperate to find them.

"Shadow… you should calm down… please." Maria said in a soft voice, she grabbed his arm and gently pulled him over to the bed. "Sit down here… and just forget about it for two minutes… they will be found. They've just run away, nothing has happened to them." Maria said, trying to calm Shadow down, it wasn't working.

Shadow sat on the bed, he rested his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands, he looked like an emotional wreck. "I'm done for…" he sighed heavily.

The next day the broadcast was sent out, everyone knew of the princes' disappearance so everyone was on the lookout in hope to get a big reward. Despite this, no good news was reported back to Shadow, two days passed and still nothing. That was when suspicions rose, and they were all about Shadow.

"What has he done to them?"

"Where has he hidden their bodies?"

"They ran away because he's a cruel and horrid person."

"They need to come back and get rid of that vile creature."

"Sonic II is the rightful king, not Shadow, if that monster comes to the throne then we know he's done something to those poor children."

This was just the tip of the iceberg of all of the rumours and comments that many people made. Shadow was made out to look like a scandal and a villain when he was really the victim.

As always, Silver was there to comfort Shadow, as they were standing on the balcony again. "I know you didn't do anything Shadow." Silver said to him, putting his hand on the gloomy hedgehog's shoulder.

"Is that what you've been told in the future? Or do I go down in history as the one who betrayed everyone?" Shadow said sadly.

"No… I know it because, I know you wouldn't do anything like that." Silver said with confidence. "You're a good person and the world refuses to see that." Shadow was still silent, feeling miserable. "So… what are you going to do… there's no sign of them. Someone should take their place."

Shadow sighed. "You're right… maybe I should call Amy… the maybe one of the younger children want to become an infant king…" Shadow said with slight sarcasm.

"No… I mean, you." Silver said. Shadow looked at him in shock, he looked as if he'd been insulted. "Wrong thing to say?"

"I can't take the throne! I can't be king! Not in these circumstances! There will be a complete uproar!" Shadow exclaimed.

"But you're the only one who can do it… you literally made most of Sonic's decisions for him and they were all the right ones. Shadow, you can do this." Silver encouraged.

"Fine. We'll wait one more week. If no claimants to the throne show up, I'll take it." Shadow said and went back inside, not wanting Silver to encourage him to do anything else.

Shadow hoped with all of his mind that someone would show up, he couldn't announce that he's giving them a week to show up because them people will think that he was trying to take the throne, then again if he didn't tell them it was their last chance to show up people would think the same only worse.

Shadow was surprised that he hadn't heard anything from Amy yet, he thought that she would be raving at him as soon as she found out. Was she really afraid of him, was the young Sonic right? She left because she was afraid?

He went to the bedroom, no one was in there, once inside and all alone Shadow dropped to his knees. "Sonic… forgive me for losing your children…" Shadow said in a desperate voice. "I'm a complete failure…"

A week passed and there was still no feedback, Shadow didn't say anything about taking over, he stayed quiet. Silver got back to him though. "Shadow… it's been a week, they're not going to show up. It's time for you to take control." Silver said calmly.

"No… I'm seen as a villain in all of this. I'll never be accepted!" Shadow exclaimed angrily.

"But you need to! It's the only way, there's social unrest everywhere because of this, this world needs a king, it needs a leader! You need to take the title as leader!" Silver exclaimed urgently.

"Hmph… fine. I will. But as soon as one of those princes turn up I'm giving them the throne." Shadow grumbled.

"I don't know why you're complaining. You would have had this much power and made most of the decisions for Sonic anyway… this is just the same only you're the one wearing the crown." Silver said.

"You're right… I'll go and plan what I'm going to say and then I'll announce what I'm going to do." Shadow said in a monotonous voice and went inside from the balcony that they were on.

So, Shadow took the title as king by telling the world that there were no other claimants that had come forward and that he had the power to take the crown. He did so in an emotionless manner, he thought that if he were to smile then people would think he wanted the crown all along and was happy to finally have and to just look sad was weak.

Unfortunately, many citizens took the monotonous approach in the wrong way and thought he was things such as a heartless creature or callous monster. Either way, no one trusted or liked him.

Shadow's coronation took place the following week, many turned up but they crowds were no where near as enthusiastic as they were for Sonic's coronation. Apart from the lack of enthusiasm, everything was going well, nothing was going out of plan and nothing was forgotten.

When the ceremony was coming to and end, Shadow was relieved, but his sigh of relief came a bit too early as just as he began, someone from the crowds managed to get up onto the stage, guards had not kept their eyes on this human, it was a woman. The woman from the castle that Shadow had seen at the entrance so many times!There were murmurs, gasps and complaints, what a way to ruin everything. Shadow had no idea why she had come up the stage. She then pointed to Shadow, a furious look on her face. "This hedgehog is a usurper! He killed prince Sonic and Rush and took the throne!" she yelled.

All was silent, Shadow had no idea of what to say.

**Lucy Labrador**


	3. The Princes' Fate Revealed

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 3: The Princes Fates Revealed**

**Thank You for the reviews, favourites and alerts. **

The silence continued until Shadow finally spoke up, bringing himself out of his shock. "What makes you think that I did such a thing?" Shadow asked in an offended tone, getting up off of his large throne that was on the stage, he didn't like sitting down anyway.

"I have a lot of evidence against you… and you even said it yourself." she sneered.

"W-where? When!" Shadow exclaimed.

"The first day the two princes were reported missing. You were at the entrance, thinking that no one would hear you, you muttered to yourself, 'At least they haven't found the bodies.'" she said in a smart tone.

Shadow's eyes widened as he thought back to that day. Yes, he did say something similar to that, but it was caught completely out of context and it's meaning corrupted. "I admit, I did say something along those lines…" Shadow sighed. "But that's not what I meant… I was happy that no one had found any dead bodies, which would suggest that the boys are alive somewhere."

"If they're alive, why are you on the throne!" Someone from the crowd yelled out.

"I waited for someone to come forward, someone who had a right to the throne and no one did. If the princes were to come forward, then I will renounce my title as king." Shadow said, feeling the nerves build up. He hoped that Sonic and Rush would rise up from somewhere in the crowds, but they never did.

"But they won't because you killed them!" the woman screamed.

"I didn't kill them! What makes you think that I did other than what you just said!" Shadow yelled, becoming frustrated.

"I am always at those entrances, along with many others. I would have seen those boys leave if they'd run away. They've not been found in the castle anywhere. Many of us, who work in the castle believe that you have killed them and sent their bodies away somewhere where we can't find them, with chaos control!" she yelled.

There was audible unrest form the crowds. Shadow's ears drooped to the sides of his head. "I wouldn't do that… I promised Sonic that I would protect them. I admit I lost my temper with them when they wouldn't listen to me." he said, frustration in his voice. "But I never hurt them…"

"We have a DNA sample of the two of them, and it matches patches of dried blood found in the dungeons on the bottom floors of the castle… you killed them in some brutal way!"

Shadow dropped to his knees. "What? Why didn't anyone tell me about the blood! Th-they're really dead." Shadow trembled, all of his hopes of them being alive were shattered.

Then there was revolt, there were angry cries from the crowds, many objects were thrown at him. Shadow made a run for it, back into the castle where he couldn't be harmed by the citizens. Maria and Shade soon followed from the higher sections of the audience.

Inside of the castle, Silver was waiting for him. "Shadow!" He called as Shadow just swept past him and rushed through the corridors. "Shadow!" Silver shouted again and ran after him.

Shadow stopped and looked at Silver irritably. "What!" he snapped.

"Is it true?" he asked, a disappointment in his voice and on his face.

"No Silver. I didn't kill them!" Shadow yelled.

"I know but… are they dead?" he asked sadly. Shadow was silent, he sighed and looked down, giving a slight nod.

"From what I heard… they are. I'm going to check the dungeons to see if what she said is true." Shadow said in a monotonous voice. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see.

Once Shadow entered the room that the blood was found in, his mouth gaped open and his eyes widened, a look of true shock on his face. The stone walls and floor were covered with blood splashes. "N-no… no… NO!" Shadow stuttered then cried out. "Why didn't anyone tell me about this! Why wasn't I informed about this!" he cried out in pure panic and terror.

Silver was a few feet behind him, outside of the door, peeping inside at the state of the room. Shadow turned around to him. "Why Silver! WHO DID THIS!" Shadow yelled, running over to him and shaking him by the shoulders.

"How am I supposed to know!" Silver exclaimed.

"We have to put an investigation into the murder!" Shadow yelled exasperatedly and ran back up to the main floor. Silver ran after him,

"But Shadow… if everyone thinks that you killed them then… won't the police be after you?" he warned.

"Well, if I don't order an investigation then I'll give everyone another reason to believe I killed them." Shadow said in a low and sad voice, while standing in the middle of the corridor.

The two of them could hear the crowds outside, all roaring in anger. "I have to go out there… I don't think they'll listen to me but… they'll suspect something if I don't show myself…" he said miserably and walked towards the exit of the castle that would lead him to the stage.

Shadow walked back out towards the stage outside, thankfully the woman was gone but she had left a full scale revolt in her place. The stage was completely trashed, Shadow took up the microphone he had left behind backstage to get everyone's attention. "SHUT UP!" Shadow boomed into it at the top of his voice, it wasn't very professional but it was the only thing that would work.

The crowd quietened down, the screams turned to murmurs and then quiet, no one spoke. Shadow cleared the stage and nervously began to explain the situation. "I've just seen for myself… the…" he gulped. "…hideous mess in the dungeon. I had no idea of this. No one told me. I was hoping that the princes were alive and well somewhere." he said, there was a moment of silent as Shadow tried to compose himself. "Those boys were like nephews to me, Sonic appointed me as their guardian and protectors, I loved them as family and would never do such a horrendous thing to them. I didn't kill them! Which means the murderer is out there somewhere… and so are the bodies. We need to find who ever is responsible for this! So I'm starting an investigation!"

Then the complaints flooded in, in the form of profanity filled yells from many people who were in the audience. Shadow knew it was time to get back inside again, before he was hit with more things from the angriest members of the crowd. One angry many got up onto the stage and chased after Shadow, but was held back by a couple of guards. "There's no need to send out a search for the murderer when he's right here in front of us! It's you and we all know it!" he yelled. Shadow looked at him anxiously as he said so, then turned to leave.

When he got back into the castle, he ran to the living quarters where Maria and Shade spent most of their time. "Dad… did you do it?" Shade asked, there was tears streaming from his face, Maria also looked as though she'd been crying.

"No Shade. I didn't do it, but whoever did is a disgusting creature and needs to be punished." Shadow growled. "I can't believe they have the nerve to accuse me… despite the so called 'evidence' the have against me… I want that woman fired…" he hissed, Shadow was furious.

"Shadow, please calm down. It'll be okay, just wait, the murderer will be found. They have to be… those poor children need justice." she said and began to sob, she ran over to Shadow and hugged him tightly.

Shadow returned the embrace, Shadow watched his parents from where he was standing, and saw something he thought he never would, he saw his father cry. He'd never seen his father cry, Shadow always kept his tears hidden, he'd never cried in front of anyone before.

Shade knew his father hadn't done such an awful thing, he wouldn't kill Sonic's children, because he had a heart, and anyone with feelings wouldn't kill family. Shade ran over and wrapped his arms around Shadow's and Maria's waists.

That evening, the three of them were sitting silently, waiting for feedback. There was a knock on the door to the living quarters, where Shadow had stayed for the many hours after the disastrous coronation. "Come in!" Shadow called, there was no emotion in his voice, as always. The door opened and the messenger came in, he was an anthropomorphic creature, Shadow was happy to see another creature like him, he couldn't trust any humans right now.

"King Shadow." he said and bowed, "We've received many calls from Lady Amy Rose, she's very unhappy about what her children and she wants answers from you." he said solemnly.

"I can imagine the grief she's going through…" Shadow sighed and got up from the sofa that he was sitting on with his family. Shadow walked over to the messenger slowly, he was given a portable phone. Shadow listened to the many messages he'd been left, the first one from a few days ago.

"SHADOW! I WANT ANSWERS! WHAT'S HAPPENED TO MY CHILDREN! WHERE ARE SONIC AND RUSH!" Amy screamed.

The next message was from yesterday. "SHADOW! WHY HAVEN'T YOU CALLED ME BACK! IF I DON'T RECEIVE ANSWERS ABOUT MY CHILDREN WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS I'LL BE DOWN THERE TO KICK YOUR ASS!" she screamed, sounding even angrier.

The next message from only a few minutes ago, there was a few seconds of sobs then screaming words of despair and fury. "SHADOW! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT! I'LL GET YOU EXECUTED! I'M THE RIGHTFUL QUEEN! MY CHILDREN ARE THE RIGHTFUL RULERS! I'M COMING OVER THERE, YOU'RE DONE FOR YOU DISGUSTING MURDERER!" she screeched then the phone was slammed down, and that was the end of the messages.

Shadow turned to Maria, who could hear the messages from where she was standing. "I'm done for." he said, going pale in the face.

**Lucy Labrador**


	4. Betrayal

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 4: Betrayal**

**Sorry for the long wait, I had writers block.**

Shadow waited nervously for Amy to show up, he knew what he would have to do. He couldn't let her come back to the throne, it would be the end of him. Amy thought that Shadow was the murderer, and if she was the queen, she would get him prosecuted for sure.

So, when Amy arrived, Shadow waited in the meeting room for her to come and find him. He would not find her, he was hoping that the pink hedgehog would somehow not think of looking in the meeting room of her own previous home, and leave. But she didn't, she came into the room screaming and yelling words of profanity and hate at him.

Shadow turned to her as she was coming through the door, he put his hands out in front of his face and she walked over, she tried to hit him but the dark hedgehog grabbed both fists that soared towards his face. The furious woman became silent.

"Amy." Shadow said seriously. "We need to talk." she was about to scream back in protest but Shadow pushed her back, away from him. She went stumbling backwards as Shadow let go of her wrists. "You can't become queen again, nor can any of your children come to the throne." Shadow said calmly, facing her and looking at her seriously. Amy was about to protest, but Shadow spoke out. "It's only for the best!" he lashed out. "And only for now, until things settle." he said in a quieter voice.

Shadow turned away from Amy slightly. "I can assure, I didn't hurt your sons, Amy. I meant the best for them and thought that Sonic would be good for the throne but…" he swallowed hard. "Someone very cruel took their life, but everyone thinks it's me." Shadow said, his voice slightly trembling, he felt the need to cry, he wanted to hold his feelings back, he was king and couldn't let his emotions show.

"Oh, don't try the innocent act on me, don't bring on the fake tears! You killed them Shadow, I know you did! The evidence is clear! You wanted the take power and you know that they were the only people that stood in the way, so you got rid of them. I know that you always get what you want, you always reach your goal no matter what it takes!" Amy yelled at him, there were tears in her eyes.

"Yes… I do follow that nature… I did it a lot when I was younger… before Sonic became king, but it doesn't count for this. I admit, I did think about being in power at times but I didn't want it enough to kill someone for it, let alone kill children that I love for it!" Shadow yelled, baring his sharp canines, he was becoming vicious.

"If you don't want power that much Shadow, why are you saying that I can't take the throne back! When you said in front of your audience that you would give the throne back as soon as someone stepped forward!"

"I've changed my mind." Shadow said. "This isn't permanent, it's only until we've found the real murderer because I know that if you come to power, you'll lock me away or send me to my death because of some stupid words from that… brainless and conniving woman." Shadow said while full of hatred. "Amy… she's a human… don't trust her, don't listen to her. I looked for myself, what she said about the blood is true. I should have been told about it, but I wasn't. Those humans are against us Amy… I should fire them all but if I do I'll look suspicious."

"You don't want to look suspicious because you'll be found out." Amy said in a hateful and smart tone.

"No, because people will suspect me!" Shadow yelled, getting frustrated. He then took a deep breath then took her by the hand and looked at her with sincerity. "Amy… you can reside here in luxury if you so wish, with your children, with anyone you want, just lay low for a while, and trust me."

"Me? Come here with my children!" Amy hissed, sounding disgusted. "Is this all a plot to kill us all?" she bared her teeth.

"W-wrong thing to say…" Shadow said nervously. "What I'm getting at is… that you can do anything you want! Just let me solve this murder… please." Shadow begged.

Amy pulled her hand away from Shadow and turned her back to him in a huff. "I'm leaving, Shadow, and when I find enough evidence, you're a dead man." she said viciously and left the room.

Shadow walked over to the table in the middle of the room and lent against it, taking deep breaths, he was feeling extremely anxious, he wanted to run, because everyone was against him, hence, whether he was innocent or not, they would kill him. He couldn't run though, he had a world to run, as king, he had to continue his job, rule the world and find the murderer.

About half an hour later, Shadow left the meeting room only to be greeted by Silver, he had been waiting for the dark hedgehog to come out of the room for a while. "Shadow." he said seriously, as opposed to the usual cheerful. 'Hi Shadow'. Shadow had an awful feeling that Silver had been listening to someone and had changed his opinion about Shadow's innocence.

"Silver." Shadow said with a slight sigh, he was really struggling.

"Shadow… I'm starting to have doubts about what you've said. The evidence sounds really convincing, that's the evidence against you." Silver said, folding his arms.

Shadow gave a deep and annoyed sigh. "Silver, have you been talking to Amy?"

"No. But I was thinking… you've been wanting to do this from the start, haven't you?" Silver asked.

"Silver… do you know something from the future?" Shadow asked in the same tone as before, almost as though he had ignored what Silver had just asked.

"NO! Shut up! I know what's going on now! You used Sonic to get yourself in power, you spoke to him and you persuaded him to take power because you knew that you'd never be accepted but he would be, therefore, you convinced him to take power and planned to use him to gain power!"

Shadow's mouth gaped open, people were coming up with any old theory now to make him sound guilty, even his close friend and loyal follower, Silver had turned against him too. "Silver… it's nothing like that." Shadow groaned, he couldn't take it any more. "We'll find the killer, don't worry." Shadow said monotonously and tried to walk away, Silver stood in his way.

"I've already found him Shadow, he's standing right in front of me." Silver said seriously through gritted teeth.

Shadow put out his hand and pushed past the pesky white hedgehog. "There's no one in front of you Silver, you'd better start looking." Shadow's voice echoed through the corridor as he left Silver to stand alone.

Before Shadow could turn the corner, he was thrown off of his feet and into the wall in front of him. He smacked into the wall, face first and slid to the floor, he then turned to around and leaned against the wall to see Silver with his hand out, he had just used his telekinesis to throw Shadow. "I can't let you leave Shadow, I can't let you get away with this." Silver said while walking over to Shadow.

"What are you going to do then? Kill me! I highly doubt that you can do that." Shadow said while getting up, he looked confident.

"Yes, and if I can't kill you I'll make sure you're put to death or given a life sentence in prison." Silver sneered and attempted to send another shockwave as Shadow but the quick hedgehog managed to dodge it.

"Hmph, and I suppose that's put you in power then, won't it. You kill the king, you take the power. You're no better than me then, you're a usurper!" Shadow hissed.

"Are you admitting that you did it then?" Silver asked.

"NO!" Shadow yelled and sent a chaos spear at the hand that Silver was using to manipulate his powers onto Shadow. The spear was purposely to weak to draw blood or cut like a usual spear, but enough to immobilise and hurt him. Silver yelped and grabbed his hand in pain, this was Shadow's chance.

Shadow got behind Silver and wrapped his arm around Silver's neck, putting him in a headlock. "You made a bad decision Silver! I suggest that you return to the future before I put you into prison for treason!"

"You murdering cheat!" Silver choked.

"I'm not a murderer, you should have listened to me, if you had done that you wouldn't be in this situation right now!" Shadow yelled and kicked Silver in the back with his knee. Silver cried out in pain, but the cries were suppressed by Shadow's arm being wrapped around the young hedgehog's throat. "I'm giving you the chance to leave, and never return now Silver."

"And what will you do if I don't leave? Kill me?" Silver said with spite. Shadow kicked him again. "Let go of me now… and I'll leave." he said, sadness in his voice. Shadow let go of Silver, the light hedgehog turned around to face Shadow while catching his breath. "It was nice knowing you Shadow… before you became a murderer that is." he said, sounding disappointed. He then took out his two emeralds and returned to his own time through a rip in time and space.

Shadow sighed and headed for the living quarters. That's when he was met with the most terrifying message of his life, something that almost broke his heart. As he walked towards the door of the living quarters, one of the servants came out of the door in a hurry, the young human woman who usually tended to the children ran over to Shadow, a panicked look on her face. She then said those awful words. "Shade has fallen ill! His condition is fatal!"

Shadow felt as though his heart was in his throat, his son… was dying.

**Lucy Labrador**


	5. The Making of a Tyrant

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 5: The Making of a Tyrant**

Shadow ran into the living quarters and burst into the bedroom to see Shade, his only son who could soon be lost forever. He entered the room to see Shade in bed, under the covers, only his face being shown. His muzzle was pale and his dark fur matted with sweat. "How long has he been like this!" Shadow yelled, putting his hands to his hand in shock.

"Only half an hour… we thought it was just a mild illness but he's gotten so much worse!" Maria said and ran over to Shadow, hugging him tightly, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Why is this happening? How is he even ill, he's not left the castle, he couldn't have caught an illness from anyone!" Shadow exclaimed, turning to the servant at the door, she was clueless. "This is awfully suspicious." he hissed under his breath so no one could hear him.

An idea popped into Shadow's head, he ran back over to Shade and sat at the bedside. "Shade… have you eaten anything usual today, or did anything you eat taste strange?" Shadow asked in a panic while taking his weak and shaking son by the hand.

"No… I've only had water…" he groaned. "…Other than the food we all had… we would have all been ill if it were that."

"You're right… unless… the food _you_ were given was… no, it can't have been." Shadow whispered and stood up. "That water you drank, who brought it to you?" Shadow asked aloud, looking at the empty glass on Shade's bedside table.

"I don't know… I remember playing… then looking to my beside table to see it there. Someone must have brought it to me while I was busy playing, I didn't notice anyone." Shade rasped.

"No…" Shadow groaned. "YOU!" he pointed to the servant, the woman jumped at Shadow's sudden outburst. "Do you know where it came from?"

"No… and I didn't see anyone come into this room to give it to Shade." She said worriedly.

"Unless… it was you." Shadow hissed while walking over to her. Maria ran over to Shadow and grabbed a hold of him.

"Shadow, don't jump to conclusions… she's innocent. I don't think she would do this." Maria trembled.

"And where were _you_ while this happened?" Shadow asked Maria while he turned around to her with a threatening look on his face.

"I went for a walk, when I arrived back I was told that Shade wasn't feeling well." Maria said nervously.

"Why weren't you here?" Shadow yelled. "This wouldn't have happened if you were here!" he yelled in her face.

"How… dare you blame me. You're the one who is out all day! You may be king but you still have a son!" she screamed and slapped him in the face. Shadow had to contain himself and stop himself from hitting her back.

"Mum… Dad…" Shade called, his breaths were now ragged and he looked terribly weak. "I feel… so ill… I think I'm going to be sick…" he shivered.

They both ran over to him from the middle of the room, back to his side. Maria was on one side of the bed, Shadow on the other. His eyes were no longer a shining and saturated light blue, they were now dim. "Shade… are you okay?"

"No…" the youth breathed.

"He can't die now… he's only twelve… too young to die so easily." Shadow trembled.

"Die? I don't want to die!" Shade exclaimed, his eyes widening. Maria gave a furious look at Shadow for mentioning death in front of Shade.

"You won't… you'll recover… just take deep breaths… you'll get through this." Shadow said, feeling very unsure about his words. There was a look of doubt on Shade's face. "You're immortal like me Shade… you'll survive this." Shadow lied. He wanted to look strong and confident for Shade in his last moments, he wanted to reassure his son that he would be safe.

Despite this, Shadow couldn't hold back the tears, he cried silently as he watched his son get weaker by the minute. He took his left hand while Maria took his right hand. "I feel… awful…" Shade struggled to say. "When will this end?" he said, now crying himself.

"Soon… Shade… soon." Shadow sighed. "…soon."

No one heard from Shadow or Maria for several days. None of the servants were allowed in the room, none of the royal family left the castle, no one knew anything. Meals were requested for all three of them, which Maria collected at the door, but Shades meals were only requested so no one would get the idea that he had in fact-

Shadow knew it was time to tell everyone the bad news, the prince and heir to the throne was gone. His small and feeble was carried out of the room while Shadow and Maria sobbed, watching their precious and lifeless son being taken away from them for good. The coffin he was put in was then taken out of the castle while Shadow and Maria went onto the balcony in the front of the castle to make an announcement.

Shade, was dead.

There wasn't as much despair as there was for Sonic's children, but there was a strong sadness for the dead child. Then, the questions, the suspicions, the accusations.

"Did Shadow kill him?"

"Has he killed his own son in fear that his power might be taken?"

"I heard Shade was poisoned, it's pretty obvious who poisoned the poor boy."

"Shadow needs to be taken down, that's three young and innocent lives he's taken now."

Shadow sat alone on the quiet and lonely balcony that was on the back of the castle, it was late at night and he was all alone. He remembered the times when he would sit on the large balcony with Sonic, Amy, their children, Maria, Shade and in the later years, Silver.

They were all gone now, he only had Maria left, Sonic and his children had died, his son was dead, Amy was against him and Silver, a traitor. The only person he had left… wasn't speaking to him.

There was no one to comfort Shadow about his losses, no one for him to talk to. He felt a strong pain in his chest, he had lost everyone and the love of his life hated him. "Why…" he complained. "…it's happening again. This is like the ARK disaster but everyone's dying slowly and one by one this time." Shadow said to himself quietly, a tremble in his voice as he cried silently, his tears highlighted by the moon's eerie glow. "People hate me even more than before… I would never kill my nephews, let alone my son… why do those humans come up with the most ridiculous accusations?" he asked himself.

"T-this is no good. I need to seriously think about my title as king, would it be better for the world if I gave the crown back to Amy and her children?" he asked himself. He was going to do that once the murder case was solved, but it was no where near getting solved and now there was another death. Shadow wasn't making any progress, it was more like he was going backwards.

"I'll give it a week… then I'll call Amy." he decided and went inside.

Maria was waiting in the bedroom, when Shadow came inside she was speechless, she said nothing to him, she didn't even make eyes contact with him. "Maria… I hope this doesn't ruin our relationship… you're the love of my life, I don't know what I'd do if you left me." Shadow said softly.

"Our child is dead, and you're going on about the relationship? Do you even care?" Maria hissed, getting tears in her eyes, but she refused to look at her husband.

"I care, more than you think." Shadow said bluntly, but his emotionless face slowly turned to a face of anger. "I'm furious about this, I want whoever did this, killed!" he yelled and banged his fist on the door frame that he was still standing by.

Maria was silent, it looked like she wanted to say something but she was very hesitant. "Is there's something you'd like to say? Do you know something about what happened?" Shadow asked hopefully.

"You won't like what I think one bit, Shadow. I think it's best left unsaid." Maria said strongly.

"Anything to find the killer Maria… if it's the same person that killed Sonic and Rush then there's someone really dangerous in this castle that we need to stop." Shadow said seriously.

"I think it's…" Maria gulped as though she couldn't say it. Shadow's eyes widened.

"No… not you too… you don't really agree with those humans." Shadow groaned exasperatedly.

"I think it's you." Maria said and looked at him worriedly.

Shadow looked at Maria with furious eyes, he turned around, left the room and slammed the door. He didn't want to talk to her anymore. Even his own wife had turned against him.

Shadow knew that there was someone in the castle who was doing this. He couldn't trust anyone anymore, he couldn't afford to keep hundreds of humans working for him in his own home, it was too much of a risk. So, he made a decision, not caring that people would think he was being strange and making _somehow_ look more like a killer (people would find any excuse to make Shadow look guilty.) he would need to fire them all.

So, Shadow went to the meeting room and called in all of his workers, he let them in a group at a time and dismissed them all, only anthropomorphic animals like him were employed at his castle now. On the following day, a stream of ex castle employees which used to be servants, cooks, cleaners and more, all left the castle through the main entrance door, for all to see. Shadow was making it clear that he wasn't tolerating anything else, and not trusting anyone.

Obviously, after this obvious display of employees leaving, Shadow had to give an explanation, and he wasn't afraid to do so, he wanted to make it known that he was no longer putting up with the disasters, protests and disrespect he kept getting.

The irate hedgehog went back out onto his announcement balcony to sort out the crowds who were complaining outside. The small hedgehog, wearing his red robes and crown, which he never did until now, caught the human crowds' attention. "Despite what all of you think, that I have killed the three children, I did not do it. In fact, I think this a the work of a human." he began, looking down on his subjects ominously, there were angry murmurs from the crowd. "I know that the majority of you don't trust me." he continued, then a slight sadistic smirk appeared on his face. "Well… I don't trust you either." he hissed spitefully. "I've had enough of this! I'm putting my foot down! Some of you thought I was a tyrant before… you haven't seen anything yet." he said viciously.

Shadow wasn't taking the abuse any more. "Anyone who resists me from now on… is going to regret it for the rest of their lives…" he hissed. "I'm not putting up with these false accusations… it ends now." he finished and turned to go back inside, his long red robes flowing behind him.

**I found it really hard to make this chapter reasonably long… I'm struggling to do that without having a tonne of things happening all at once. **

**Lucy Labrador**


	6. Ruthless

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 6: Ruthless**

Shadow was sitting in his meeting room with several evolved creatures like himself, it was time to discuss the death of all three children and start searching for the killer seriously. "You're the only ones left, and the only ones I can trust." Shadow said boldly and strongly, as he stood at the end of the long table, as the head of the discussion. "I have a strong feeling that it was a human that killed those children, before you say anything, bare in mind that I'm going to fire anyone who says that the murderer is me, I'm sick to death of hearing it." he said irritably. There was silence, no answers from his group.

"As you may have heard, I'm no longer putting up with any accusations or complaints, anyone who opposes me is going to meet their doom." Shadow said confidently. There was uneasy looks from the assembly. "I didn't want to have to do this, but they've left me with no choice. There is a killer out there and I want to find them."

"Sir… if you don't mind me saying, couldn't you have questioned everyone who worked in the castle before you fired them, it would have been easier to find the killer then… now they're all gone, it'll be harder to find them." one of the members said nervously.

Shadow gave a frown. "That's a good point… but I wasn't taking any risks… it could have been one of you next, so I had to get rid of them. I have all of the workers on record so if it comes to that I can call them back for questioning."

"What if they don't come back like you asked?" another member asked.

"Then they will meet their death." Shadow said pitilessly. They all edged away from Shadow on their seats. Shadow noticed this and thought that perhaps, this was the wrong thing to say. "… or… imprisonment." he said and cleared his throat. "But don't worry, you're all safe, every advanced creature like us, is safe… as long as there's no resistance." the last part of his statement sounded sinister.

There was a moment or silence before Shadow hissed, "Any more questions?" with a sadistic smirk. There no questions, on the shaking of heads. "You're all dismissed." he said and waved his hand at the direction of the exit.

All of his workers were happy to leave, they rushed out in a way that didn't make it look obvious that they wanted to leave, but Shadow knew that they were afraid of him, he would have known it whether they were showing the fear or not. "They've turned him into a monster…" one of the females said under her breath.

"Yes Skye… yes they have." Shadow called over to her. She stopped on the spot in fear and turned to face him, a look of fear on her face. "Wondering how I could hear you from all of the way over here?" he asked arrogantly. "I'm the Ultimate Life Form, don't forget that." he said and then turned away.

This was her chance to leave, which left Shadow alone again. He sat down at the table, buried his hands in his face and sighed. "Everyone hates me now… I don't want to keep this ruthlessness up forever…" he said to himself in a sad tone. "Sonic wouldn't approve of this at all…" he sighed, thinking of is dead friend.

Shadow didn't leave the room for several hours, but he wasn't arranging anything, he wasn't doing any work, he was sulking. He wouldn't leave the room until he was called to solve an important issue, even then it was a struggle to get him out of the room. One of his workers called him out to deal with something, a human was protesting.

Shadow went outside to see the woman who had originally accused Shadow of murder during his coronation. Once he saw her a triumphant smirk crept upon his face, he was able to get rid of that traitorous woman forever. She was outside, waving a sign that said 'The King is a Murderer.'

He had warned her, he had warned every human that there would be no mercy, so Shadow knew he had every right to grab that woman and arrest her. The eager hedgehog walked out of the castle and over to her. He grabbed her by the arm and said, "You're under arrest for treason." through gritted teeth. He then dragged her inside of the castle and down to the dungeons. "I'd best keep you here until I send you off to prison." Shadow said as he pushed her into a dingy dark cell.

"This only proves that you're a murderer, you're trying to hide the truth by getting rid of me!" she screamed.

"No! I'm not hiding the truth, I'm hiding the lies, untrue information. You're a deluded pathetic woman who has caused the world so much damage, I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for you. It's because of you and all of the other traitors, that I've turned into a tyrant!" he yelled. "Blame no one but yourself for the suffering of many others that is to come…" he hissed and left her.

Shadow then called for the police force to take her away to a real prison, as she was being dragged out she began to scream, "Don't I get a trial! You can't do this to me, I'm no criminal, I'm a hero! I hope you suffer for this Shadow, you vermin! Mark my words you'll pay!" she was then shoved into the police car.

Shadow felt uneasy, she was crazy but very serious. "She's going to have to stay in prison for life." he sighed. "I don't want her making things worse." he added and turned to go back into his castle.

Maria was inside waiting for him. "Maria…" Shadow sighed with a smile, hoping she had come to say sorry or to just forget about all of the bad things that had happened.

"Shadow, what did you just do?" She asked angrily. Shadow's smile was wiped off his face.

"I got rid of the woman who started all of these lies." Shadow explained.

"She didn't start them, she was just brave enough to say them for all to hear." Maria complained.

"Do you still think I did it?" Shadow asked worriedly. Maria nodded. "WHY!" he yelled.

"The way you're acting Shadow, this isn't you. It's like you're hiding something, and now you've become a monster, you're going to silence anyone who speaks their mind, aren't you?" Maria complained.

"I'll silence anyone who's causing trouble for me." Shadow said plainly. "I'm doing what is necessary, and I'm not loosening my hold on power until the killer is found. As soon as the killer is found and everyone is told about the truth… then I'll give the throne back to Amy."

"You won't though! You keep saying that you will but you never do!" Maria yelled. "You really were looking for power all along, weren't you?"

"No." Shadow said calmly. "Anyone who looking to take power is an absolute fool and has no idea of how hard it is. I have to run the goings on of the whole world, and tackle these chaos damn rumours that keep circulating about me!" he roared. "I'm sick and tired of hearing these f***ing lies and accusations, I didn't want power, I didn't usurp the throne, I didn't kill anyone!"

"Whether you did it or not, this experience has changed you Shadow and for the worse. You're impossible to live with and because of this I'm without child, you've ruined everything… it's over Shadow." Maria said sadly and calmly while crying, she pulled her wedding ring off, gave it to Shadow and left through the exit which was only a few metres away.

"Maria?" Shadow said, having trouble with registering what was going on, he looked at her as she left and looked at her ring. "MARIA!" he cried out and dropped to his knees. "You can't do this! I can't do this alone!" he called for her, but she didn't return. Shadow watched with a blurry eyesight through his heavy tears as she left the castle, walked up the path and out of sight.

"Maria…" he breathed, trembling and speaking through his tears.

Shadow opened his eyes, he didn't know where he was right now. He looked around and realised that he was in his bedroom, he was in bed, the heavy silky covers keeping him warm. "How did I get here?" she rasped and bent over the bed to reach the service button.

Once of his remaining servants came in to see to him. "How did I end up bed… the last thing I remember was… oh… Maria…" he groaned.

"She left you… after that you passed out. That was yesterday." his male servant said. Shadow was silent. "Would you… like to see the newspaper today?" he asked nervously.

"You… don't usually ask me that…" Shadow said, finding this question a bit suspicious. "Is there's something about me in there?" Shadow asked.

"I'm afraid so… front page too." they said solemnly, they then went to get it. Shadow buried his face in his hands, what kind of lies had they come up with now? His butler returned and showed him the paper.

On the front cover it had a picture of a teary Maria leaving the castle and the headline read as; 'Queen Maria leaves castle'… Shadow read into it and the writers of the paper claimed that Maria had been kicked out and that she hadn't left voluntarily. Shadow threw the newspaper to the ground, not wanting to read into it any more.

"At least they didn't think I killed her…" he sighed. "Knowing the kind of absolute trash and nonsense people say about me, they'd claim that I killed her while she's standing right in front of them." he scoffed. He then took a deep breath turned to his butler. "Do you think I should resign?" he asked sadly.

"I don't think my opinion is right for a decision like this, maybe you should ask one of your consultants." he said.

"You're right…" Shadow sighed and got up.

"Would you like breakfast?" Shadow was asked.

"No." the miserable hedgehog answered and left the bedroom.

Shadow got ready. Wearing his crown and robes, which he had only started to do lately, he tended to his work all day, as though it was a normal day, just any day. He didn't want his work to fall behind any more, he also needed to think about a very important decision, should he resign? It was clear that no one was liking him and he was getting reports of dozens of arrests in the area due to act of 'treason'. Were things getting out of hand? They certainly were. Was anyone getting any closer to finding the killer, no… but-

Shadow's messenger burst into his work room immediately, "Shadow! I've just received a call!" he burst out, Shadow knew it was urgent, the phone was still in his hand, he hadn't got a chance to put the phone down before he ran! "The princes' bodies! They've been found!"

The skin on Shadow's muzzle went pale and his eyes widened. "Where!" Shadow exclaimed.

"In the castle walls… one of the cleaners… they found a gap, looked inside and there they were, behind a wall of bricks!" he said, also in shock. "Would you like to see."

"Certainly not." Shadow said. "But I do want DNA samples taken off of them, an autopsy, anything that can be done to find that killer!" Shadow yelled. The messenger ran off.

Shadow's heart was racing, could this cause a break through? Could this lead to his reign being saved, would people believe him now? He waited in his office, waiting nervously, fainting and tapping his foot, waiting for the results, he needed and answer!

"Maybe… if the killer is found and I'm proved innocent… Maria will return and everything will be okay again!" Shadow said full of hope. "Well… not… everything." Shadow sighed, remembering the innocent and important lives that had been lost.

While Shadow ate that night, he received another message from his employee who, instead of running in frantically, walked into the room solemnly. "Sire… I have… awful news…" he said slowly.

Shadow dropped his cutlery and pulled his chair back from the table. "What is it?" Shadow asked, feeling his heart start to race again.

"Maria… she was found dead earlier today-"

After hearing these words, Shadow felt himself black out.

**This story is coming to an end. I'd like to say that this storyline is based on the story of an English monarch. Would anyone like to take a guess of who it is? I'll reveal it at the end of the last chapter.**

**Lucy Labrador**


	7. Worst Nightmare

**Unwanted Leader**

**Chapter 7: Worst Nightmare**

'_Wh_y _Maria? Why did it have to be her that died? I'm nothing without her… my life… it's over._'

After many hours of being in bed unconscious, Shadow woke up again. The despaired hedgehog didn't bother moving, he didn't want to get out of bed, he was hoping that if he just stayed their, life and reality would just slip away. But it didn't, it stayed, he stayed alive, he continued to suffer. He was without friends, family and comfort.

Shadow's servants checked up on him every so often, but every time he didn't say a word or even make a sound, he'd lost all feeling and all hope. After a whole day of this, his workers became very irritated, one of the them burst into the bedroom in anger. "Sire! You MUST get over this now! There are things that must be dealt with soon otherwise the world will be in chaos!" he exclaimed.

Shadow still didn't answer, he just lay in bed, hiding under the covers, hiding from the world. "Well then, if you're going to be like this for much longer I suggest that you resign, for the good of the world!" he snapped and slammed the door.

'_He's right, I'm useless like this, I'm only making things worse, I should just… resign.' _Shadow thought to himself and a few tears fell from his eyes. '_Maybe then Amy will send me to my death… at least then I can be happy, without pain._'

Shadow's servants and workers became very impatient with him, they all came into the room together. "Sire, if you don't stop this now and get out of bed, then we will have to declare you as abdicated." said one of them.

Shadow had to get himself up, he didn't want to go like this. He sat up and looked at them all with sad eyes. "Just… give me a minute…" he mumbled, this was the first time he had spoken or made a sounds in days. He slowly got out of bed, leaning himself against the bedpost he stood up.

Some his workers, mostly the males, looked at Shadow in disgust and disappointment. "You're no longer fit to be a king. The loss of your wife has ruined you. You need to resign, if you haven't recovered in the slightest already now, then you'll never recover soon enough. You need to resign!"

"Shut up!" Shadow snapped. "I will… I promise. I just… need to know more about Maria's death… and if any more clues towards the murder of the princes have been found." he said and managed to stand of straight without the support of the wall of bedpost. His workers looked at each other, reluctant to say anything. "Well! Do any of you know anything!" Shadow snapped again and walked over to them.

"I think you should freshen up… and then come to the meeting room." the leading worker said and led everyone including himself out. Shadow gave a 'Hmph' and did as he was told.

The emotionally tormented hedgehog wanted to know what was going on, he wanted revenge for the deaths of his family. He knew that their deaths were all the work of a human, he just knew it and when he got his hands on them, he would make them suffer as much as he did, only ten times worse. The only thing that was powering him enough to carry on, was the thought of getting his reward of revenge at the end of it.

Shadow nervously entered the meeting room where his workers were ready to fill him in on everything he had missed. They had several newspapers from the past few days set out and information written down.

Shadow felt sick when he saw the front covers of the newspapers. Each one of them were all about him, the princes or Maria. The first of them was reporting Maria's death, the second was the uncovering of the princes bodies the third was declaring Shadow a murderer and a coward. The emotionally broken hedgehog put his hands to his head and closed his eyes tightly, this was all too much to take.

"Would you like to know how she died?" one of the evolved creatures asked. Shadow nodded his head silently, he was in too much shock to speak. "She was found with a knife in her chest… there was no DNA other then yours and hers found on her body… and only her fingerprints found on the knife. She killed herself." it was explained. "Your DNA was found on her body because, well, you must have come into contact with her before she had left."

Shadow nodded his head. "And… the princes' bodies?"

"Well, for two young boys who had died weeks ago, their bodies were in a very good state, not yet rotting, it's as though they had just died… but they had revived a lot of wounds to their flesh and skin." it was also explained.

"And… anything more about Shade's death?" Shadow asked. One of the female workers looked at her notes and answered.

"No… the cup that he drank out of was also checked for DNA and fingerprints and… only his was found." she said solemnly. "…and the water did have traces of poison in it…"

"Whoever did this… is smart, they know how to go undetected." Shadow hissed in frustration. "They need to be found… they must be. I won't rest until they are!" he yelled. "They all deserve justice…" he said softly.

"Now, Shadow, there are many affairs you need to sort out. It's going to take a lot of effort since you need to catch up on all of the work you've missed." Shadow was told be his consultant.

"Yes, of course. I'll do anything to get the world back on track. I need to get back to work." he said with determination. This was everyone's cue to leave. "Thank you." he said to them as they left.

Shadow looked to the piles of paperwork and letters he had received, and heaved a sigh, realising that he would have to get through all of that, and that would only be the start of his work.

The busy hedgehog was concentrated on his work so much that he didn't realise it when it had gotten dark, many long hours had passed and he was nearly finished. Shadow felt himself need to yawn, associated his tiredness with a late night so looked to the windows to see if the sun was setting yet. The sun had gone away completely, it was far into the night time, much later than he expected.

Shadow gave a slow and satisfying stretch in his chair, and pushed himself back from the table, then relaxed. He decided he would turn the intensity of the lights down, they were beginning to strain his eyes, if he was going to get all of his work done we would have to work through the night and that wouldn't be possible if he wasn't comfortable.

The fatigued king got up from his chair and headed for the light switch by the door, but before he could even get there the lights went dim anyway. This startled Shadow, who looked up at the lights, then to the switch, what had just happened? "W-who's there?" he asked aloud and put himself into his defensive position.

"The person you've been looking for Shadow…" came a masculine and sinister voice. The words passed through Shadow's ears, making him shiver, something wasn't right.

"Meaning?" Shadow asked, becoming nervous, he didn't know where the voice had come from, the unseen stranger could have jumped out from anywhere to attack him.

"The cunning assassin… the one who took your loved ones away from you." they hissed. Shadow tensed up, his eyes widened.

"The murderer… how did they eve get inside?" Shadow breathed. "SHOW YOURSELF HUMAN!" he yelled, getting ready to fight, he was so eager to tear their insides out of their feeble body.

"Oh… I'm not human… I'm not what you expect at all." the sinister creature hissed. That's when Shadow became even more nervous, if it wasn't human, then it could be something powerful.

"What are you?" Shadow asked anxiously, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Your. Worst. Nightmare."

Shadow cried out and chocked as he felt himself getting grabbed by the arm, dragged and thrown against the wall. The door flew shut, but the assassin still hasn't shown himself. The injured hedgehog got up from the floor, sliding himself against the wall, standing upright again. This was the first time in ages that Shadow had felt true fear. "S-show yourself!" Shadow said, trying to hide his fear.

"Not yet… I want to have some fun first." it's menacing voice echoed into Shadow's ears. Then a purple mist began to materialise in the room, flying through the air and cornering Shadow. That shade of purple, reminded Shadow of something, but he couldn't quite put his mind on it. A lost memory flashed through his mind.

"Who are you!" Shadow yelled over the swishing sounds of the mist.

"Don't you remember me Shadow?" the voice came again. Snake green eyes flashed for a split second in the middle of the mist that had now filled the room apart from the small corner that Shadow was trapped in. Like a deadly gas it had filled the room, blocking off all escapes.

Soon the mist began to pull into one area, the spot that was just a meter away from the terrified hedgehog, it began to form a figure, like many building blocks, slowly creating a shape, gradually becoming clearer and clearer. Once the creature had formed, Shadow let out a cry of pure dread, he was doomed.

"Recognise me now?" the deep, dark purple creature asked in a sinister and confident tone. It was somewhat like mirror image to Shadow, only… demonised.

"Y-yes…" Shadow trembled, pushing himself against the wall to stay as far away from it as he could. "M-Mephiles." Shadow swallowed as he said the demon's name. the petrified king tried to pull himself together, he was the Ultimate Life Form yet he was trembling in terror while he should have been destroying Mephiles. "It was you… who killed them?"

"Yes, all of your now dead loved ones… with the exception of the blue rodent… he died on his own… the feeble vermin." Mephiles jeered. Shadow was furious, he craved revenge, he so badly wanted to rip Mephiles apart and prove to his people that he wasn't a murderer and that Mephiles was the one who killed everyone. "I saw just how badly it effected you… it emotionally crippled you… I wanted to see you suffer even more." Mephiles hissed.

"You… bastard! I'll kill you!" Shadow snarled with fury in his eyes. He tried to use his chaos spear but Mephiles countered it effortlessly. He then took a couple of steps forward while saying;

"Don't…"

_Tap_

"…even…"

_Tap_

"…try."

Shadow continued to tremble, if his chaos spear was so useless, then what use would the rest of his attacks be? "Now, will you hand or your kingdom… or will you submit to me like a coward and watch as your not so loyal subjects suffer under my rule?" Mephiles threatened.

"I won't go down without a fight." Shadow snarled, his eyes narrowed in determination and his teeth bared anger.

"Very well… but before you go, I have a few things to show you." Mephiles teased. He then held out his left hand, a vision projected out of it. "This is how it all happened… and why is was all so hard to find any clues toward the deaths of your family members."

Shadow's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open as he was shown the visions and how things had unfolded. The first vision was of the two young princes, just seconds after they left Shadow angrily, Mephiles caught them and teleported down to the dungeons, where no one would hear them scream. In the vision however, Shadow heard every one of their cries for help, the screams of fear and their chokes of agony, as Mephiles used his crystal like claws to stab and maul them both to death.

Shadow slowly slid down the wall, dropping to his knees has he watched the traumatising events happen right before his eyes, the reflection of the vision flashing in his afraid eyes.

"After that… I took them to the future and put them in between the castle walls… which is why their bodies were no where to be found until now…" Mephiles said triumphantly, the visions continued.

Next was the death of Shade. The vision showed Mephiles silently materialising in Shade's bedroom while he played on the floor with his toys and gadgets. Mephiles then set down a glass of water and left, disappearing leaving no trace of his presence. The innocent boy had no idea that the water he had been given, had been poisoned. Shadow's eyes filled with tears as Shade noticed the glass, and obliviously, went over to drink it.

"No! Don't please!" he cried out in exasperation, as though Shade could hear him but it was no use.

Finally, was the death of Maria. Shadow watched through his heavy tears as he saw the last vision. Maria was walking through the nearby countryside, Shadow had no idea where she was headed, but he knew that where ever she was going, she would never get there. Shadow then felt as though his heart had been snapped in two as he watched Mephiles appear in front of Maria with knife in hand.

The female hedgehog screamed blood murder, whether he screams were heard or not, she was doomed. Mephiles stabbed her in the heart with the knife and watched as she chocked and squirmed in agony on the floor. Once she was lifeless and covered in her own blood, he drew the knife from her chest with a strong tug and put the knife into the hand that was resting limply on the grass.

Shadow was in emotional agony, he dropped completely to his knees, he got down and all fours and began to beg. "Just kill me now…" he wheezed through his tears. "Please…"

Mephiles looked down on the sobbing hedgehog nervously. "Hmph… when I complete my task now… please don't think that I'm fulfilling your request." Mephiles scoffed then sent a giant chaos spear like attack through Shadow's upper back.

The large lance pierced Shadow from his spine, right through his body, the tip breaking out of the middle of the dying hedgehog's ribs. Shadow couldn't breathe, there was no way to numb or bare the pain but… it wasn't over yet.

Shadow was immortal, the Ultimate Life Form, he was never going to get an easy death. Mephiles shot another spear through Shadow's lowed back, this one pierced him the same but came out through his lower abdomen, splitting his stomach open, releasing the gastric acid, enabling it to burn and begin to break down his insides. But it wasn't over yet.

Still firmly on his hands and knees, not showing weakness, Shadow was attacked a third and final time. He braced himself for the end, Mephiles' last attack impacted Shadow's skull, the green black arms blood squirting out of the hedgehog's head. His body tipped forward, hitting the floor face first, his eyes wide open. It was over now.

Mephiles picked up Shadow's drenched and dripping body, and dragged it outside. He held the bloody carcass up over the balcony, catching a few people's attention.

In a way it was a good thing that Shadow was no more and that he wasn't alive to hear the people cheer for his death. No matter how hard he had tried to be loved, he was always an,

_**Unwanted Leader**_

**Did you guess which English Monarch I based this on? It was;**

**RICHARD III**

**Richard III ruled from 1483-1485. He had a short rule, like Shadow. **

**In early 1483, Edward VI, Richard's brother, died suddenly, his two sons were too young to rule alone. Richard was appointed as their protector while the princes' mother, Elizabeth Woodville fled to sanctuary with the rest of her children. Just like Sonic appointed Shadow as protector of his eldest children and Amy left with the rest. **

**Edward IV's eldest son ascended to the throne as Edward V, the coronation however never took place, Richard took the title of king instead. The two princes, who had gone to stay in the tower of London, were never seen again. Many thought that Richard had killed his two nephews. Hundreds of years later, their skeletons were found behind the bricks of a wall in the tower. Like Sonic and Rush disappeared in this and weren't found until later. **

**In 1483, one of Richard's closest friends and nobles, the Duke of Buckingham rebelled. Just like Silver. **

**In 1484, Richard's son died suddenly. The death of his mother and Richard's wife soon followed. Just like Shade and Maria,**

**Finally, on the 22****nd**** August 1485, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth. Henry VII was crowned as king on the battlefield. Like how Mephiles killed Shadow and took his place on the throne. **

**So, there are the similarities and maybe now you can see where I got the storyline from, you also learnt a little something too! Thanks for reading, please leave a review!**

**Lucy Labrador**


End file.
